Lesson Plan Background, Theories and Activities
Special notes and/or
Extensions

Literacy Activity

Here are a couple of exercises to try with your families.

  1. Drink water - always provide water for your parents to drink and explain the benefits of being hydrated.

  2. Cross Crawl - This exercise helps coordinate right and left brain by exercising the information flow between the two hemispheres. It is useful for spelling, writing, listening, reading and comprehension. Stand or sit. Put the right hand across the body to the left knee as you raise it, and then do the same thing for the left hand on the right knee just as if you were marching. Do this either sitting or standing for about 2 minutes.

  3. Hook Ups - This works well for nerves before a test or special event such as making a speech. Any situation which will cause nervousness calls for a few “hook ups” to calm the mind and improve concentration. Stand or sit. Cross the right leg over the left at the ankles. Take your right wrist and cross it over the left wrist and link up the fingers so that the right wrist is on top. Bend the elbows out and gently turn the fingers in towards the body until they rest on the sternum (breast bone) in the center of the chest. Stay in this position. Keep the ankles crossed and the wrists crossed and then breathe evenly in this position for a few minutes. You will be noticeably calmer after that time.

 

Review 3 Key messages in detail

  1. Read daily
  2. Literacy play
  3. Be a literacy and math role model

 

Display books must be appropriate for this lesson and should include simple books, wordless books, books with great illustrations, be of good quality, etc. (see this lesson for more ideas on how to choose appropriate books.)

 

 

Terry Orlick (University of Ottawa) has done a lot of work in this area. See his website for free articles, books, etc. and other information on putting your mind at its peak efficiency.
www.zoneofexcellence.ca